holiday

Just because school is back in session and the holiday break is behind us (can you believe it’s been a month already?), it doesn’t mean that you can’t still celebrate winter.

We are heading up to play in the snow on Monday for Emma’s birthday, so I thought it would be fun to get in the spirit and create some glittery 3D snowflake decorations. Even though Emma chose a snow trip over a party this year, I still like to make her big day special and make the house pretty and have some tasty treats to eat on her big day.

Maybe plans fell through and now you’re sitting with your head in your hands, praying for a Christmas miracle. If you just found out you’re in charge of this year’s Christmas feast—for whatever reason—don’t panic. Okay, panic a little! Is it out of your system? Good. Now it’s time to get down to business. Contrary to what you’re probably thinking, it is actually possible to pull off a delicious feast with limited time—it just takes a bit of foresight and a lot of patience. Follow these tips and throw a dinner party your loved ones will enjoy to the fullest this Yuletide season.

This July 4th Menu shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SummerYum #CollectiveBias

I seriously can’t believe that the 4th of July is just around the corner. I always love the 4th of July – it’s a great time that family and friends can gather together and eat amazing food and celebrate our nation. To me, it’s like the unofficial start of the fair and carnival season, and I love all of the tasty treats you can devour at all of the fun events. Today I’m sharing a July 4th menu idea with you:

Yesterday though, I was exhausted. As I mentioned yesterday that kids have been quite a handful the past couple of days, and we all had to do grocery shopping too – so I loaded the kids up and drove over to the Walmart Supercenter in Salem so I only had to make one stop and could get everything I needed.

July 4th Menu Idea:

I ended up grabbing a family pack of their Deli Fried Chicken for dinner last night, as well as a cute little banner and red, white and blue washi tape… and started feeling excited for the upcoming holiday. We don’t have fried chicken too often, so of course I decided to make the rest of the traditional trimmings – potato salad, corn on the cob, a green salad, and lots of fresh juicy fruit.

I didn’t know what I was going to do with the tape when I bought it, I just knew that I liked it (don’t tell me you haven’t done that before!) however, while I was mixing my potato salad a festive idea popped into my head and I decided to make our silverware a little more festive by adding the tape to the ends. It’s great because it comes off easily and really transformed them. I also added a piece of tape onto mini mason jars and wrote our names on them, and the kids loved their own personal cups.

The salad I made was a Red, White and Blue Salad – it’s really easy to make and tastes amazing!

Red White and Blue Salad

4 cups of baby greens

1 cup of fresh raspberries

½ cup feta cheese

½ cup slivered almonds

½ cup fresh blueberries

¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Mix all of the ingredients into a salad bowl and serve immediately. Drizzle your favorite dressing on and enjoy!

Makes approximately 4 servings.

We’ve had an overabundance of fresh little strawberries since we’ve went and picked about 32 pounds of them over the past week, so I wanted to make a fun little appetizer that was a little bit different. We also happen to have a yummy basil plant in our garden that is doing really well, so I harvested some of that, and used some fresh mozzarella and balsamic dressing to make tasty little bites that at least Wayne and I liked.

Strawberry, Basil, and mozzarella bites

Even though life can be hectic and I’m completely exhausted at times, I’m glad that I like creating this stuff – because someday these moments will turn into my children’s fond memories.

And it all started with some yummy fried chicken. 😉

What food do you normally serve for Independence Day? What occasions are “fried chicken” occasions? Walmart makes it really easy to create the dinner you want with their deli fried chicken! 🙂

~Melissa

#AD Simple July 4th Menu Idea was last modified: May 16th, 2016 by Melissa Kaylene

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DadsMyHero #CollectiveBias

Hello everyone! Can you believe that Father’s Day is now less than a month away? I know I’ve said this many times, but I still cannot believe just how fast this year is flying by!

I always make sure that we do something special for Wayne on Father’s Day. I think it’s very important to teach the kids to give back, be kind, and downright spoil their Dad at least one day out of the year. Some of you may not know, but Wayne isn’t Anika’s biological father – though he has raised her since she was 18 months old, and to him, she is his. Family doesn’t always equal blood – it’s who is there for you no matter what.

Compensation was provided by ConAgra RO*TEL via Mode Media

You might remember by now that I’ve been attempting to do a themed dinner once a month with the family – it’s something that I thought I’d do to make meal times a little more memorable, and last week I made a simple Zesty Taco dinner party with all of the fixings, black beans, cheese, lettuce tomatoes, and RO*TEL’S Rockin’ Guac. There’s just something about a fun little table spread that makes mealtime so much more exciting.

In addition to the taco fixings, I also had a delicious fruit torte that I purchased as well as beverages like Bud Light’s Lime-a-Ritas. Right now, more than ever, since it’s springtime and nearly Cinco De Mayo, I love big and bright colors so I placed a black tablecloth on and let all of natural ingredients take center stage with their beauty.

A few weeks ago I made RO*TEL’s Rockin’ Guac for the first time and the family loved it – they ate it up pretty quick (we are big snackers around here!) I also found out that Emma LOVES avocados – she can sit there and eat a whole one by herself!

Taco Dinner Party Rockin’ Guac recipe:

To make RO*TEL’s Rockin’ Guac all you need is:

3 pitted and peeled avocados

1 can of zesty RO*TEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green

Chilies, drained

½ cup chopped onion

A squeeze of lime juice

All you do is:

Mash the avocados in a bowl, stir in remaining ingredients, then season with salt and pepper. The recipe can also be found on the RO*TEL website, which has a how-to video and other great tips!

RO*TEL’s Rockin’ Guac is great to use for a dip, as a spread on sandwiches, or to top off tacos!

Sometimes little things like taking ten minutes to set up a table before a meal can really make a big difference as well as a lasting impression on friends and family. They will remember the extra love you used to create not only a tasty meal, but a fun atmosphere as well.

Life is meant to be celebrated – what are you going to do this week to celebrate yours?

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PlanesToTheRescue #CollectiveBias

This year is the first year when all three kids seem to appreciate Christmas – and presents – a little bit more. Sure they all want lots of things like most all of the other kids in America do, but something has changed; something that makes this mom feel proud inside. They don’t’ just want to get presents, this year they are almost as excited about giving them.

I let them each pick out one present for both of their siblings. We actually did 95% of our shopping this year from Walmart.com because there’s so much more of a variety online, and they had a deal running where I got free shipping and the kids loved being able to get on the computer and search for their presents for their siblings. It has made them just that much more excited for Christmas, because they have their presents under the tree that they cannot wait to share!

The girls like to make their friends cards or little gifts like necklaces or bracelets, and Noah wanted to be able to give a couple of his friends and Christmas gift too, but I wasn’t quite sure what to do – and then I had a moment where a light bulb idea popped into my head and I knew what I could have him do.

Walmart currently has some fun Planes Fire and Rescue merchandise on Rollback in their toy section, including their 3 pack die-cast vehicles. Currently they are $14.97 for a set of three. They are so cute, and also the perfect size for little ornaments that he could give as a present, so I bought a couple of packages.

We gathered some holiday inspired red and white string and I created little gift tags on the computer. I helped Noah cut them out and let him write his name on them.

We then cut string and tied it onto the vehicles, and attached the gift tag.

They were SO incredibly simple, but what a great little gift to give! All that needed to be done was wrap them in tissue paper and give them to his friends – and for less than $5.00 each it’s an affordable present that any little boy would like to have!

I’m learning more and more that it isn’t about the quantity behind gifts, but the thought behind them, and involving kids in the giving process helps makes the experience more memorable. Have you come up with some simple gift ideas this year? I’d love to hear about them!

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the best house cleaner. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not that we live in a total disaster, but with three kids and all of their activities, plus a party time job, part time business, and everything else that comes up – well, sometimes the dishes don’t’ get done, and the garage is quite frankly – a mess.

One thing I think I have mastered though is what the most important things to get cleaned are. A lot of you will be having guests over during the holidays, and with so many things to accomplish in just a few short days like last minute shopping and baking, well, cleaning is probably the last thing you want to do! Even though we’re not going to be having company this year, I certainly don’t want a disaster in my house over the two days that we will all actually be home together – with no schedules. After all, there will be plenty of wrapping paper and toys to take over the living room – they don’t need any competition.

I’ve got a little checklist that I’ve created (because I’m obsessed with lists) to remind myself on what need to be done over the next couple of days, and I thought I’d share it with you.

The Kitchen – There’s going to be a lot of baking to finish up on and so it’s important to start off with a clean work space so it doesn’t become overwhelmingly messy when the cooking frenzy is finished. Wipe down the cupboards and counters, sweep and mop, and clean out the refrigerator so there will be room for all of those holiday leftovers.

The Kid’s Rooms – Presents are coming into the house, and so it’s time to go through old toys and make room! My kids also happen to be little ‘collectors’, from paper scraps and candy wrappers (that they’ve snuck) to rocks and random puzzle pieces…it’s can get messy VERY quickly…so I’ve gone in with garbage bags and Lysol and am nearly finished with this massive task.

The Bathrooms – Simply because I don’t want to have to mess with them on our days off together, but this is especially important if you are having company. Make sure it’s stocked with enough towels, toilet paper, and scented candles.

Bissell will randomly select three winners from the comments found on participating blogs.

Bissell will announce the winners Monday, January 5th, and the winners will be notified through a response to comments. You will have 5 business days (by 01/12/15) to submit your email address and claim your prize.

Good luck!

Also, click the image below for a $1 off coupon.

~Melissa

4 Things to Clean Before Christmas + A Big Giveaway! was last modified: April 1st, 2016 by Melissa Kaylene

Good morning! I just dropped the girls off at school (we have a late start Monday which I LOVE because I get one more day to sleep in!) and Noah is sitting next to me at the kitchen table, both sipping our ‘coffee’ and planning for our day. My day is going to include a trip to turn in recycle and donating a bunch of old toys and outgrown clothes. I’ll clean the house a bit more and then get an early dinner ready so we can all eat before Anika’s choir and band program at 7 pm. She is pretty nervous (as anyone would be!) but I’m excited because this is her first performance in middle school.

Before Noah and I head out to run errands though, I’m browsing around online collecting Christmas cookie recipes so I can pick up any extra ingredients I may need in town today. I love making holiday cookies every year and I’m planning on starting my baking frenzy tomorrow. There’s something so pretty about handmade and hand decorated treats, each one a different flavor and color.

I like to have a variety of cookies, from intricate ones that take me a bit of time to make, to easy ones that the kids can pretty much do themselves – like the Rice Crispy Treat Trees I found while looking at Foodie.com. We are definitely making those together!

Different shapes and sizes are another thing I take into consideration – I love a good chocolate chip cookie or sugar cookie, but I don’t want all of the cookies to look the same! Thumbprint cookies are fun to make because they are visually different, as well as macaroons or snow ball cookies – after all I think cookie boxes should be little works of art, right? 🙂

Lastly I want to make sure I have multiple flavors when I give my holiday cookies – not too much chocolate or too much peppermint. I like a good balance between traditional holiday flavors and a few surprises like orange or raspberry flavors.

So, here are a few cookie recipes that I’ve found so far, and I’ll be looking for a bit longer before heading out. Are there any Christmas cookies that you just can’t live without? How many different kinds of cookies do you make each year?

~Melissa

Compensation was provided by Foodie via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Foodie”

The Best Christmas Cookie Recipes was last modified: April 1st, 2016 by Melissa Kaylene

Hey! Thanks for stopping by! At Melissa Kaylene I believe that memories should be made daily and that you should always celebrate the little moments in life. I share a home in Oregon with my husband and three kids, Anika, Emma, and Noah. When I'm not busy creating content you'll find me working part time as a nurse and volunteering at the local grade school.